First Time Build - Architecture + Rendering Workstation

[halmund]

Hi there,

As the title states, I'm planning on building my first PC and have a budget of $2000 for parts. I am an architect and have considerable experience using V-Ray CPU and moderate experience using V-Ray GPU and Enscape. I regularly use CAD, Rhino 6, and the Adobe Suite and while I'm an enthusiast about rendering, I want this computer to be a well rounded workstation. GPU rendering seems to be the future, but with my experience in CPU rendering and the scarcity of GPUs, I'm willing to spend more on the CPU up front and upgrade the GPU in the future.

I've decided to go the SFF route and have already purchased a NCase M1, so any comments on compatibility would be appreciated. I know this has its limitations, but I'm not looking to build an absolute monster.

CPU:

I'm debating whether to get the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X or the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. Any thoughts on their performance and comparison would be appreciated. As I mentioned above, I think I’ll spend more on the CPU and am leaning towards the 5950X.

GPU:

Still new to this world and I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of choices and differences in models. After realizing that I'm priced out of buying a $1,000+ GPU, I've revisited the CG Director GPU page and am trying to find one that fits by budget of ~$500 - I've been looking at the Zotac GTX 1660 Super.

I ran the CGDirector PC-Builder for both a 3D modeling and a CPU rendering workstation which selected the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 Super, respectively.


I'm still in the learning & research phase, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I know there is a lot more to comprehend and synthesize before I start buying all parts, but I wanted to reach out to the community and see what you thought. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jerry James]

I think this thread would help you out -

DIY PC for Interior Architecture Student

Hi everyone, first of all thank you for all the specific categories that you guys have made a PC built for, looking for advices for a CAD build is difficult and not a lot of website that offers that knowledge. I'm building a custom PC for my girlfriend, the scope is not only strong enough for...

www.cgdirector.com

As for your questions, here goes:

I'm debating whether to get the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X or the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. Any thoughts on their performance and comparison would be appreciated. As I mentioned above, I think I’ll spend more on the CPU and am leaning towards the 5950X.

Still new to this world and I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of choices and differences in models. After realizing that I'm priced out of buying a $1,000+ GPU, I've revisited the CG Director GPU page and am trying to find one that fits by budget of ~$500 - I've been looking at the Zotac GTX 1660 Super.

If your sole purpose for getting a 16-core is needing to rely on CPU rendering for a bit, I'd say try finding an RTX 3060 and 3060Ti in your region. Most of our readers are managing to find them on shelves at around the $400-550 (USD) mark.

A 5950X is a good idea if any of your workloads are CPU core-heavy. Software like CAD, Rhino, and Adobe suite apps mostly rely on single-core performance once you clear the 8 to10-core CPU space. A 5900X will be a nice and relatively long-term option if you aren't doing any CPU rendering work.